Alaska Native Studies

College of Rural and Community Development
Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development
907-474-5405
www.uaf.edu/danrd/

BA Degree; Minor

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Minimum Requirements for Degree: 120 credits

Alaska Native studies provides students with an awareness of the scope, richness and variety of Alaska Native cultures. It offers a series of critical perspectives on the contemporary Native experience in North American society. The BA degree can be earned on the Fairbanks campus or through distance delivery.

Students complete a concentration in one of four areas: Alaska Native Forms of Cultural Expression, Alaska Native Education, Alaska Native Language, Alaska Native Law, or Government and Politics.

The Alaska Native studies BA prepares students to appreciate historical and contemporary cultural dynamics. The department also welcomes students pursuing a second major or a minor. It encourages students who expect to be involved professionally in Alaska Native communities or other multicultural settings to pursue this degree.

Special application requirements and deadlines apply for distance BA programs. For more information contact the department toll-free at 800-770-9531 or visit www.uaf.edu/danrd/.

Major -- BA Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements.
  2. Complete the BA degree requirements. Non-Fairbanks campus students choosing a minor other than Rural Development must verify that the required courses can be accessed via distance before declaring that minor. Courses used in the core major and concentration area may be double counted for the minor.
  3. Complete the following:*
    ANS F101--Introduction to Alaska Native Studies--3 credits
    ANS/ANTH F242--Native Cultures of Alaska--3 credits
    ANS F310--Indigenous Land Settlements--3 credits
    ANS F350W,O--Cross Cultural Communication: Alaskan Perspectives--3 credits
    ANS F375--Native American Religion and Philosophy--3 credits
    ANS F401--Cultural Knowledge of Native Elders--3 credits
    RD F350--Community Research in Indigenous Contexts--3 credits
    RD F475--Rural Development Senior Project--3 credits
  4. Complete 9 ANS/RD elective credits--9 credits
  5. Complete 21 credits in one of the following concentrations (These are recommended courses. Course substitutions may be made with approval of the faculty advisor):*
    Alaska Native Education
    ANL F315--Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut--3 credits
    ANL F316--Alaska Native Languages: Indian Languages--3 credits
    ANS F102--Orientation to Alaska Native Education--2 credits
    ANS F111--History of Alaska Natives--3 credits
    ANS F202X--Aesthetic Appreciation of Alaska Native Performance**--3 credits
    ANS F250--Current Alaska Native Leadership Perspectives--3 credits
    ANS F251--Practicum in Native Cultural Expression--3 credits
    ANS F300W--Alaska Native Writers Workshop--3 credits
    ANS/ANTH F320W--Language and Culture: Application to Alaska--3 credits
    ANS/ENGL F340--Contemporary Native American Literature--3 credits
    ANS F348W--Native North American Women--3 credits
    ANS F351--Practicum in Native Cultural Expression--1–3 credits
    ANS F370--Issues in Alaska Bilingual and Multicultural Education--1 credit
    ANS/ED F420--Alaska Native Education--3 credits
    ANS F461--Native Ways of Knowing--3 credits
    ANS F475--Alaska Native Social Change--3 credits
    RD F110--ANCSA: Land Claims in the 21st Century--1 credit
    RD F265--Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska--3 credits
    RD F470/F670--ANCSA Pre-1971 to present--3 credits

    Alaska Native Forms of Cultural Expression
    ANL F315--Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut--3 credits
    ANL F316--Alaska Native Languages: Indian Languages--3 credits
    ANS F111--History of Alaska Natives--3 credits
    ANS F160--Alaska Native Dance--1 credit
    ANS/THR F161--Introduction to Alaska Native Performance--3 credits
    ANS F202X--Aesthetic Appreciation of Alaska Native Performance**--3 credits
    ANS F250--Current Alaska Native Leadership Perspectives--3 credits
    ANS F251--Practicum in Native Cultural Expression--3 credits
    ANS F300W--Alaska Native Writers Workshop--3 credits
    ANS/ANTH F320W--Language and Culture: Application to Alaska--3 credits
    ANS/ENGL F340--Contemporary Native American Literature--3 credits
    ANS F347--Voices of Native American Peoples--3 credits
    ANS F348W--Native North American Women--3 credits
    ANS/ENGL F349--Narrative Art of Alaska Native Peoples (in English translation)--3 credits
    ANS F351--Practicum in Native Cultural Expression--1–3 credits
    ANS F360--Advanced Native Dance--1 credit
    ANS F361--Advanced Alaska Native Performance--3 credits
    ANS/ART F365--Native Art of Alaska--3 credits
    ANS F381W--Alaska Natives in Film--3 credits
    ANS F461--Native Ways of Knowing--3 credits
    RD F265--Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska--3 credits
    RD F470/F670--ANCSA Pre-1971 to present--3 credits

    Alaska Native Language (not available at all campus locations)
    Complete two years study of an Alaska Native language (16 credits) and choose 6 credits from the following:*
    ANL F255--Introduction to Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut--3 credits
    ANL F256--Introduction to Alaska Native Languages: Indian Languages--3 credits
    ANL F287--Teaching Methods for Alaska Native Languages--3 credits
    ANL F288--Curriculum and Materials Development for Alaska Native Languages--3 credits
    ANL F315--Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut--3 credits
    ANL F316--Alaska Native Languages: Indian Languages--3 credits
    ANS F202X--Aesthetic Appreciation of Alaska Native Performance**--3 credits
    ANS F300W--Alaska Native Writers Workshop--3 credits
    ANS/ANTH F320W--Language and Culture: Application to Alaska--3 credits
    ANS F370--Issues in Bilingual and Multicultural Education--3 credits
    ANS F461--Native Ways of Knowing--3 credits

    Alaska Native Law, Government and Politics
    ANS F111--History of Alaska Natives--3 credits
    ANS F250--Current Alaska Native Leadership Perspectives--3 credits
    ANS/RD F315--Tribal Peoples and Development--3 credits
    ANS/ANTH F320W--Language and Culture: Application to Alaska--3 credits
    ANS/PS F325--Native Self-Government--3 credits
    ANS F348W--Native North American Women--3 credits
    ANS/PS F425--Federal Indian Law and Alaska Natives--3 credits
    ANS/PS F450--Comparative Aboriginal Rights and Policies--3 credits
    ANS F475--Alaska Native Social Change--3 credits
    ANS F461--Native Ways of Knowing--3 credits
    ENGL F414W--Research Writing--3 credits
    PLS F280--Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals--3 credits
    PS F263--Alaska Native Politics--3 credits
    RD F110--ANCSA: Land Claims in the 21st Century--1 credit
    RD F265--Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska--3 credits
    RD F300­--Rural Development in a Global Perspective--3 credits
    RD F470/670--ANCSA Pre-1971 to present--3 credits
    TM F201--Advanced Tribal Government--3 credits
  6. Minimum credits required--120 credits

* Students must earn a C- grade or better in each course.

** ANS F202X may not be counted toward an Alaska Native Studies major if used to fulfill core requirements.

Minor***

  1. Complete the following:
    ANS F300- or F400-level course--3 credits
    ANS F401--Cultural Knowledge of Native Elders--3 credits
    Alaska Native Studies electives--9 credits
  2. Minimum credits required--15 credits

*** All minor programs must be approved by the Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development department head.